WOODS, H.A.; Univ. of Texas at Austin: Interactive effects of temperature and oxygen on insect egg development Most biological rates depend on temperature, but not always in the same way�e.g., metabolic rates usually are affected more strongly by temperature than are rates of transport by diffusion. In tissues, organs, or organisms supplied with oxygen primarily […]

WOODS JR., William A. *; HEINRICH, Bernd; STEVENSON, R. D. ; University of Massachusetts Boston; University of Vermont; University of Massachusetts Boston: Honeybee Flight Energetics: Flying in the Light of Day Several recent sets of respirometry measurements of flying bees have, in disagreement with earlier work, supported the conclusion that the honeybee A. mellifera and […]

TURBEVILLE, J. M.; Virginia Commonwealth Univ.: Ultrastructure of the Proboscis Pseudocnids of the Palaeonemerteans Cephalothrixcf.rufifrons and Carinomella lactea and an Assessment of their Phylogenetic Utility. The ultrastructure of proboscis pseudocnids (= filament-core rhabdoids) of the palaeonemertines Cephalothrix cf. rufifrons and Carinomella lactea was examined to clarify the organization of these structures and to enhance evaluation […]

VICKARYOUS, M.K.*; HALL, B.K.; Dalhousie University, Halifax; Dalhousie University, Halifax: Osteoderm development in the American Alligator A wide variety of modern amniotes develop localizations of skeletal material within the integument. Referred to as osteoderms, they are typically considered to represent remnants of the once extensive exoskeleton (dermoskeleton) of early vertebrates. Unusual among skeletal elements, osteoderms […]

SIDLAUSKAS, B.L.; University of Chicago / The Field Museum: Morphological diversification of anostomid and curimatid fishes My research takes advantage of a rare natural experiment to investigate how and why species in the South American freshwater fish family Anostomidae have evolved a diversity of head and jaw shapes that greatly exceeds that of the closely […]

MAISANO, J.A.*; Univ. of Texas, Austin: High-Resolution X-ray CT and the Digital Library of Morphology The study of morphology has long been hampered by scarcity of specimens, limited access to them, and often their small size. High-resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT) is an industrial refinement of medical CT offering greater penetration and a two-orders-of-magnitude improvement […]

BECK, A. L.*; BLOB, R. W.; University of Chicago; Clemson University: Form and Function in Tetrapod Locomotion: Implications for the Origin of Mammalian Locomotion Although quadrupedal tetrapods have been historically divided into two groups, sprawling and erect, these distinctions actually represent endpoints of a continuum of observed postures. The ability to distinguish morphological features that […]

HOCHBERG, R; Smithsonian Marine Station: Evolutionary morphology of the head in Thaumastodermatidae (Gastrotricha). Fluid mechanics and evolutionary constraints drive historical transformation of the feeding apparatus Gastrotrichs live in an environment characterized by extremely low Reynolds numbers. The morphology of the gastrotrich feeding apparatus is therefore adapted to overcome viscosity and enhance prey capture. An investigation […]

COOPER, Lisa N.; BERTA, Annalisa; DEMERE, Thomas; Biology Department, San Diego State University; Biology Department, San Diego State University; Paleontology Department, San Diego State University: Evolution of the Baleen Whale Forelimb Mysticetes (baleen whales) are traditionally described as having immobile elbows, wrists and digits, but new evidence suggests some of these joints are mobile. By […]

BERDNIKOVS, Sergejs; University of Cincinnati: Evolution of sexual dimorphism in shape of the pelvic bones of Mustela (Carnivora, Mammalia) The pelvic bones (os coxae) play a critical functional role in animal support, locomotion and parturition. One of the biggest controversies surrounding this structure concerns evolution of differences in pelvic shape between sexes. Two alternative evolutionary […]